Pieces Falling Into Place (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Plans continue as Steve and Catherine add attendants to their wedding party.


**Notes:** Mari and Sammy – Thank you for your INCREDIBLE feedback and for brainstorming ideas when I needed help. It can't be said enough: you two are the best!

Readers and REAL McRollers – We're absolutely ECSTATIC that you're as excited about the upcoming wedding as we are! Thank you for your amazing support!

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _Pieces Falling Into Place (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

Steve looked up from his phone conversation when he heard a light tap on his office door. Chin stood outside, motioning with a file.

Waving Chin inside, Steve said to the caller, "Hey, look, I gotta go, just, whatever Catherine wants, okay? Thanks, Boris." He ended the call and put his phone on the desk. "Chin. What d'ya got?"

"Financials for Gregson." He motioned to the phone on Steve's desk. "I can come back if you need to–"

"No, no, it's fine," Steve said and gestured to the phone. "That was the guy from the venue. Some questions about the wedding."

Chin smiled as he sat in a chair across from Steve, setting the file on his desk. "That's right. Catherine said you guys found a place. Ko Olina Resort. Nice," he said with an approving nod.

"Yeah, tell me about it. We got really lucky there. Catherine loves it."

"If the bride's happy . . ."

Steve smiled. "Yeah."

"And you've got a date."

Steve nodded proudly. "April 30th."

"That's not very much time," Chin observed with a grin.

Steve chuckled. "I know. But we don't want to wait, now that we're finally at this place in our relationship, you know?"

"I can understand that. Very well," Chin said meaningfully.

Steve nodded to him in understanding.

After a moment, Steve straightened and said, "Actually I wanted to talk to you about the wedding."

"Anything you need. I'm here for you."

Steve smiled. "Good. 'Cause I want you to stand up with me at the ceremony. With us. Catherine and I, we both want you to."

Chin smiled broadly. "I would be honored."

"Excellent," Steve said happily.

Chin returned his smile for a moment, then his expression grew thoughtful and his gaze unfocused.

Steve cleared his throat. "Listen, Chin, I know this whole thing has to . . . bring up a lot of memories for you."

Chin looked at him. "Yeah," he said quietly. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, a small smile on his face. "Happiest day of my life. But for a long time it was . . . it was hard to think about it without also thinking about . . . our last moments together."

He paused, and Steve waited for him to continue.

"Enjoy every minute, Steve," Chin said. "Even all the endless wedding decisions and details . . . because they're all precious."

Steve nodded seriously. "Thanks, Chin. I will."

Chin straightened in his seat with a final nod. "Well, I should get back to it."

"Okay." Steve picked up the file. "What do I need to know about this?"

"Some suspicious deposits in his bank account," Chin said as he stood. "Definitely worth another round of questions."

"Okay."

Chin stopped with a hand on the door and looked back at Steve. "You make each other happy. And you make each other better. Which is saying something, because you're both pretty amazing on your own. I'm really happy for you, Steve," he said sincerely. "I'm happy for both of you."

"Thanks, Chin," Steve said with a grateful nod.

With a final smile, Chin opened the door, and Steve's eyes stayed on his friend as he headed for his own office.

* * *

Around noon, Catherine poked her head inside Kono's door.

"Hey, do you want to grab lunch before we head to court?" she asked.

"Definitely," Kono said immediately. She checked her watch and, noting the time, shut down her computer before standing to join Catherine by the door. "What'd you have in mind?"

"Something light," Catherine said as they walked toward the exit, both waving a quick farewell to the guys by the smart table. "Maybe that café across from the courthouse?"

"Excellent," Kono said and pointed. "You're driving."

Catherine chuckled. "All right."

"Hey, any excuse I can make to ride in the 'vette."

Catherine tossed her the keys. "Live it up, sister."

Kono caught the keys easily and grinned. "Sweet!"

Ten minutes later, they were seated at a small table at the café. After placing their orders, Catherine sat back and looked at her friend.

"Okay, so . . . I didn't just want to get lunch before court," she admitted. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

Kono smiled. "I think I know what this is about . . . at least, I hope I do."

Catherine nodded. "Yeah, you probably do." She leaned forward. "You've been such a great friend to me since I moved to the island, Kono. And such a good friend to Steve. You've always supported us, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for that."

"Well, you guys don't make it very hard. What does Danny say? A matched set."

Catherine smiled. "See? That's what I mean right there. So . . . be one of my bridesmaids?" she asked hopefully.

Kono let out a little whoop of joy. "Yes! Of course!" She jumped up and stepped around the table to hug her. "I'm not ashamed to admit I was hoping you'd ask," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sorry," Catherine said as Kono sat back down. "I should have asked before now. There was never any doubt we wanted you to stand up with us." She smiled. "But after finding the venue and setting a date, we realized we had a few other very important details to take care of – like getting the wedding party set."

Kono waved off the apology. "So what do we need to do?" she asked excitedly.

Catherine laughed. "Pretty much everything. Carrie and Grace can bring you up to speed. Grace has lists. And _lists_."

Kono grinned. "I don't think I've seen her this excited . . . ever."

"I know. It's so sweet and . . . touching, really . . . how excited she is. How much she wants to help."

"She loves you guys. You're Uncle Steve and Auntie Cath."

Catherine grinned at that.

Kono reached over and touched her hand. "And I love you guys, too. I'm so happy for you both. You and Steve . . . you've always done things your way." She laughed lightly. "I can relate to that." She squeezed Catherine's hand. "And I will be so, _so_ honored to stand up with you at your wedding. You've become such a close friend, you _and_ Steve. There is no way I'm missing the chance to support you guys."

Catherine sighed happily and blinked at the tears in her eyes. "You're not supposed to make me cry, we've gotta be in court in less than an hour."

Kono laughed, wiping at her own eyes. "I doubt these will be the last happy tears before the big day."

"I'm sure you're right." Squeezing her hand, Catherine said, "Thanks, Kono."

"Sistahs forever."

"Forever."

* * *

That evening, Steve sat at a small table in a bar, sipping a beer as he waited for John Parker to arrive.

When he saw his friend approaching the table, Steve stood to greet him.

"John," he said, holding out his hand. "Thanks for coming."

"Steve, hey," John said and gave him a quick handshake. "Of course."

"Can I get you a beer?" Steve asked, pointing to his own bottle.

John nodded as he took a seat. "Sure, thanks."

Steve caught the attention of the server across the room, lifting his bottle and motioning to John. The server nodded his understanding, and Steve flashed him a smile in thanks.

"How's it going?" John asked as Steve sat down across from him.

"Good, good. Busy, you know?"

"Yeah. Same here. Lot of long days."

"Tell me about it," Steve agreed. "Some things never change."

"You got that right."

Their server brought over a bottle, setting it down on a coaster in front of John.

"Thanks," John said.

Steve nodded to the young man. "Thank you."

"So what's up?" John asked after the server had walked away.

Steve took a drink and said, "I'm sure Carrie told you we found a venue and set a date for the wedding."

"Yeah, she showed me the website. The place looks incredible."

"Yeah. We're uh, we're excited," Steve said honestly, a smile on his face.

John grinned. "I bet you are. Hell, we all are. We've been waiting a long time for this." He tilted his bottle toward Steve in a small salute. "And I get to say I knew you when it started."

Steve smiled. "Yeah, that's . . . kind of what I wanted to talk to you about." He set his own bottle down. "You've been a good friend to me for a lot of years, man. To me and to Catherine. I want you to be a groomsman at the wedding."

"Of course," John said immediately with a broad smile. "It'd be an honor to stand up with you, Steve. Like you did for me fifteen years ago."

Steve nodded, picking up his beer again and taking a drink.

John did the same, his expression growing thoughtful.

"You know, this is will be the first time Carrie and I are in a wedding together," John said with a little smile of realization. "She was deployed when my brother got married, and I couldn't get leave for her brother's wedding."

Steve nodded in understanding. "Part of the life."

"Yeah." He looked at Steve. "I'm glad we'll get the chance to be there together to support you and Catherine."

"So am I."

John held up his bottle. "To our brides. Very little can make 'em blush, and we wouldn't want 'em any other way."

Steve grinned, tapping his bottle neck against John's. "I'll drink to that."

* * *

While Steve was with John, Catherine set her laptop up on the coffee table at home and placed the Skype call with Mary she'd arranged earlier in the day. She waited, Cammie sitting on the floor beside her, for the video call to connect.

"Hi," she said when Mary's face appeared on the screen.

" _Hi, Cath,_ " Mary said. She grinned. " _And Cammie._ "

Cammie gave a soft woof in response, and Catherine smiled, resting one hand on the dog's back.

"How's Joan?"

" _Finally in bed,_ " Mary said with a groan. _"It's getting to be a nightly battle._ "

"Ohh, I'm sorry," Catherine commiserated. "And Aaron?"

Mary snorted. " _Oh, he's fine. He's glued to Criminal Minds in the other room._ "

Catherine laughed.

" _So what's going on?_ " Mary asked. " _You said you wanted to Skype, just me and you._ "

"Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. I would rather have asked in person, but I also didn't want to wait."

Mary's eyes flicked away for a moment nervously. " _Um . . . okay._ "

"It's nothing bad," Catherine assured her. She smiled. "I want to ask you to be one of my bridesmaids at the wedding."

Mary blinked in surprise. " _Oh! Oh, wow, I wasn't . . . um . . . wow._ "

"Well . . .?" Catherine asked.

Mary paused, biting her lip.

" _I know it's like . . . traditional or whatever for the groom's sister to be in the bridal party, but . . . you really don't have to–_ "

"Mary, this is about more than you being the groom's sister," Catherine cut in. "You're an important person in my life. I want you there with me."

" _Of course, I'll be there, I wouldn't miss it, I just . . ._ " Her voice faded as she shrugged.

"It's really important to me that you're not just there as a guest, but that you're standing up there with me and Steve."

" _God,_ " Mary said, a little awed. _"You really mean that._ "

"Every word," Catherine said unequivocally. She smiled. "So . . . will you do it?"

Mary laughed, wiping at the tears in her eyes. " _Yes. Of course, I'll do it. I'm . . . yes,_ " she said again. " _I . . ."_ She sighed, collecting herself, and smiled. " _I'd_ _be honored to be one of your bridesmaids._ "

"Thank you," Catherine said sincerely.

Mary laughed again, scratching her head. " _I've never . . . I've never been a bridesmaid or anything before._ "

Catherine smiled. "Well, I've never been a bride, so we'll figure it out together."

Mary smiled in response, then glanced down for a moment, swallowing around the sudden lump in her throat. She looked back up at the screen.

" _You're important to me, too, Catherine. I . . . I hope you know that._ "

Catherine smiled, recognizing the similarities between Mary and Steve in the conversation.

Touched by her words, Catherine brushed the tears off her cheeks. "I'm really glad to hear that, Mary. I already think of you as my sister. And that's why I want you to stand with me on my wedding day."

" _And that is exactly where I'll be, sis_ ," Mary said, smiling broadly at the new nickname.

Catherine laughed, and, an ocean apart, the two shared heartfelt smiles as their bond grew even deeper.

* * *

The next afternoon, Steve picked Cody up after school, and the two went for a bite to eat.

"So, school's good," Steve said as they grabbed seats at one of the picnic tables, referencing their conversation in the truck on the way to Kamekona's.

Cody nodded. "Yeah."

"Work, too?"

"Work's good," Cody said after swallowing a bite of his fish wrap. "Mr. Ko wants me to get trained on the registers."

"Yeah? That's great. I know he thinks highly of you, that's more proof right there."

Cody glanced down, smiling. He looked back up and said, "He's a really cool boss. I mean, he wants everybody to work hard, but it's like . . . he'll do everything he wants us to do, you know? Like, if the line's getting backed up, he'll help bag groceries. Or if we got a really big shipment, he'll help put stuff on the shelves. He doesn't just sit in his office all day."

Steve smiled. "Sounds like a great boss."

"Yeah," Cody said and took another bite.

They ate in silence for a few minutes. When he finished with his own fish wrap, Steve washed it down with half a bottle of water.

He set the bottle back on the table and said, "So, listen, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."

Cody looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"It's about the wedding."

"You're still getting married, right?" Cody asked, his eyes widening slightly.

Steve laughed. "Yes. Yes, I'm still getting married. And when I do . . . I want you to stand up with me."

Cody blinked in confusion.

"Do you know what that means?" Steve asked.

Cody's brow creased slightly. "Um . . . I, I don't think so."

"It means I want you to be one of my groomsmen. Help me get ready for the wedding, and stand up with me and Catherine and the rest of the wedding party during the ceremony."

Cody straightened in his seat. "A groomsman? Really?"

"Really."

Cody looked down at the table, his forehead creasing further.

After a moment, he lifted his head to meet Steve's eyes again. "That's . . . kind of a big deal, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is," Steve said steadily. "I think it's a very big deal." He shifted to lean forward. "You're a very important person in my life, Cody. And I want you right there with me when I get married."

Cody stared at him, seeing the absolute sincerity in Steve's eyes.

He nodded finally, a smile growing on his face. "Okay. I'll do it."

Steve smiled, sitting back. "Good. Thank you."

Cody's brow knitted again as he thought. "Does that mean I have to wear a tux?"

Steve laughed heartily. "Yes, you have to wear a tux," he said and shook his head. "Don't worry, you're gonna look great."

Cody shrugged. "Everybody'll be looking at you, anyway."

"No, everybody'll be looking at Catherine," Steve said frankly. He smiled. "Who, by the way, is gonna be thrilled that you agreed."

Cody looked at him, a small, pleased smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Steve said, nodding. " 'Cause you're important to her, too."

Cody's smile grew, and he looked down again, taking it all in.

He glanced back up and said, "Thanks for asking me, Steve."

Steve nodded slowly. He smiled softly and reached across the table to clasp the teen's shoulder.

"Thank you for saying yes."

* * *

Steve answered the knock on the front door at the house that evening, his phone at his ear.

"Like I said the other day, whatever Catherine wants," he said into the phone as he let Danny inside. "Thank _you_." He ended the call and pocketed his phone. "Boris from the Ko Olina," he told Danny. "That guy knows his stuff, I'll give him that. He's asking for answers to questions I hadn't even thought of."

"Like what?" Danny asked, greeting Cammie with an affectionate ear scratch.

Steve rubbed a hand across the back of his head. "Like whether the male attendants'll be up front with me or escorting the bridesmaids down the aisle, that kind of thing."

Danny grinned. "Look at you . . . getting all your ducks in a row."

"Yeah," Steve said with a little chuckle, leading him toward the kitchen. "Cath's talked to Kono and Mary, so she's got the two of them plus Carrie and Gracie. I've got Chin, John, and Cody as groomsmen." He opened the fridge, pulling out a beer and offering it to Danny.

"No, thanks, I'm not staying long." He held up a bridal magazine. "I just wanted to drop off this magazine for Cath. Grace insisted it couldn't wait till tomorrow."

Steve smiled at his niece's enthusiasm and shut the refrigerator door. He took the magazine from his partner and headed for the dining room.

"There are still some details to work out," he said. "Joanie as the flower girl . . . Cammie. And we want the Allens to have a role at the ceremony, too. A few other people to bring in." He set the magazine on the desk.

"Wait, wait a second," Danny said, holding out his hands.

Steve turned back to him. "What?"

"By my count, you've only got three groomsmen."

"Yeah," Steve stated with a shrug.

"There are four standing with Cath."

"Yeah."

Danny folded his arms. "So don't you need one more guy?"

Steve made a face, mirroring his partner's pose. "You need to check your math. I said, Chin, John, and Cody. Plus you, that makes four."

Danny leaned forward, eyebrows raised. "Plus me?"

"Of course, plus you," Steve said and waved a hand at Danny. "You're my best man."

"I am?" Danny said, leaning back. "Well, this is news to me."

"Yeah. Who else would it be? I thought that was obvious."

Danny's hands shifted to his hips. "Well, you know, it would have been nice to be asked, Steven."

Steve sighed, his chin dropping to his chest. He looked back at Danny. "Seriously? What, are you gonna say no?"

"No, I'm not gonna say no, I'm just saying you didn't ask, you _assumed_."

Steve's voice turned genuine. "Danny, you're my brother. Who else would it be?"

Danny paused a beat at the change in tone. "Well, when you put it like that . . ."

"Will you be my best man?"

Danny grinned. "Of course I will, you big animal. Come here," he said, stepping forward for a quick hug.

The front door opened, and Catherine came in.

"Ooh, I can come back," she said with a smile when she saw the two.

"No, no," Danny said, stepping back. "I'm just headed out, Cath." He nodded toward the desk. "Dropped off a magazine from Grace."

Catherine smiled, glancing up at Steve from where she was petting Cammie. "And do we have a best man?"

Before Steve could answer, Danny said, "You do."

Both men walked toward her.

"Once he finally got around to asking," Danny added.

"What?" Steve said, holding out his arms. "I figured you knew."

"You know, with that attitude, it's a miracle you got engaged," Danny said. He turned to Catherine and gave her a quick hug. Releasing her, he continued, "I'm glad he actually asked you, Catherine, instead of going the telepathic route." He looked between them. "Then again, you two have that whole . . . speaking without words thing going on, so . . ." He sighed, shaking his head with a smile. "Luckiest guy on the planet."

Steve draped his arm around Catherine's shoulders, smiling softly at her. "No argument here."

She returned his smile, and he leaned down to press a light kiss to her lips.

Danny beamed at the sight. "And I could not be happier for you," he said sincerely. "For both of you."

"Thanks, Danny," Catherine said, smiling warmly.

Steve nodded. "Thanks, brother."

"I'll see you both tomorrow," Danny said, putting a hand on the door knob.

"See you," Steve said.

"Bye," Catherine added.

"Best man out," Danny said with a grin, and Steve and Catherine chuckled as he closed the door behind him.

Inhaling deeply, Steve turned toward Catherine, his arms moving around her waist to pull her closer. He kissed her, savoring the familiar taste and feel of her lips.

When he finally pulled back, he smiled. "Hi."

She smiled brightly in return, her arms looped around his neck. "Hi."

He kissed her again, and she sighed happily when they parted.

"Mmm . . ." she said, opening her eyes. "The pieces are starting to fall into place."

"Yeah."

"We're really doing this."

"We're doing this."

She tightened her arms around him. "You know I'd marry you anytime, anyplace . . . but I'm so glad we'll have the people we love there with us."

He rested his head against hers, nodding slowly. "I know exactly what you mean."

* * *

 _ **Hope you enjoyed!**_

 _ **The REAL World Ask the Authors Q &A is back by popular demand! We'll answer questions in the endnotes of stories during the last week of every month.**_

 _ **Today's question:  
**_

 _ **Jennifer asks, Where do the three of you get ideas/characters from?**_

It absolutely varies, and sometimes the answer is we don't even know! Very often, the characters take over in our minds, and we just write what happens.

There are some characters that are based loosely on people in our lives (e.g. Esther, Carrie, Grandma Ang, Nonna, etc.), but as we write more, they become their own individuals. And some scenes do come directly from real experience. For example, come to my library on a storytime morning and you will see something very similar to the storytime Steve, Catherine, and Joan attended in _Not an Abstract Concept_. One of my wonderful great-aunts sat with me for an hour working the gum out of my hair with peanut butter when I was a kid. Though I'm *fairly* confident my brother didn't actually put it there on purpose as Cath's cousin did in _Special Memories_.

We've received great prompts from readers that led to stories like _Mistaken Perceptions_ , _Complete_ , and _A Cohesive Team_. We love hearing your ideas. We can't promise we'll always take up a prompt, or that it will turn out exactly how you imagined, but we really do love hearing from you.

Other times ideas can come when we least expect it. Mari was at a lunch meeting once and noticed a skeezy motel across the street. In that moment, her fabulous _In Writing_ was born. I remember driving to work one morning when the idea for the scene with Catherine mistaking Samantha's boyfriend for an intruder came into my head. That scene eventually became _Do the Math_.

One of the best things about working together, is our stories can build off each other. Sammy's utterly AMAZING _Righting a Wrong_ has inspired several other scenes, and there are times I find myself referencing exchanges from stories almost subconsciously. Mari pointed one such instance out at the end of this story!

And it's a rare chat session that ends without someone coming up with a new story idea. Those are fantastic because we fire ideas and dialogue back and forth at a rapid pace (thank goodness for chat transcripts!), and even if the story is ultimately written by just one of us, it feels like a collaboration, because the entire REAL World truly is.

 _You can submit questions to the REAL World writing team via reviews, email (realmcroll at yahoo dot com), Tumblr (mcrollintherealworld dot tumblr dot com), and to Mari on Twitter at mari21763_


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